Prof.   E.J.Wiokson 


rrigation  of  the 
lacramento  Valley 


An  Address  at  flie  Recepion  01  flie 
Congressional  Irrigation  Committee 
at  Red  Bluff,  Cal.,  June  15,  1905 


BY 


J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT 

Supervising   Engineer 
Reclamation    Service,  United   States   Geological    Survey 


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IRRIGATION 


OF  THE 


SACRAMENTO  VALLEY 


ADDRESS  OF 

J.    B.    IvIF>F>INCCrrT 

Supervising  Engineer  Reclamation  Service,  U.  S.  Geological  Survey 

At  the  Reception  of  the  Congressional  Irrigation  Committee  at 
Red  Bluff,  California,  June  15,  1905. 


Reprinted;tfrom  the  Red  Bluff  Daily  News. 


UBRARY-AGRICULTUBE  DECT 


Irrigation  of  the  Sacramento  Valley 


POSSIBILITIES     OF     THE     SACRAMENTO 
PROJECT. 

A  "Progress  Report  on  the  Hydrographic  Investi- 
gation in  the  Sacramento  Basin"  has  been  completed 
and  sent  to  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey,  for  publication  as  a  Water  Supply  and  Irri- 
gation Paper. 

Mr.  S.  G.  Bennett,  Engineer  of  the  U.  S.  Reclama- 
tion Service,  has  prepared  this  report  and  is  the 
engineer  in  charge  of  this  project.  A  Board  of 
Engineers  has  been  freely  consulted  in  reaching  the 
preliminary  conclusions  herein  presented. 

This  report  is  intended  as  a  handbook  on  the 
questions  of  irrigation,  drainage  and  storage  of  water 
in  the  Sacramento  Basin.  The  first  part  of  the  re- 
port contains  a  general  description  of  the  Sacra- 
mento Valley;  a  brief  statement  in  regard  to  climate, 
crops,  markets  and  great  opportunity  for  irrigation 
development;  a  short  history  of  irrigation  in  Califor- 
nia; the  substance  of  the  Reclamation  Act;  an  out- 
line of  the  organization  of  the  Reclamation  Service; 
a  statement  in  regard  to  the  co-operation  between  the 
State  of  California  and  the  Departments  of  the  Interior 
and  Agriculture  of  the  Federal  Government  in  hydro- 
graphic,  topographic,  forestry  and  duty  of  water  in- 
vestigations. The  Water  and  Forest  Association,  the 
Woodland  and  Willows  Boards  of  Trade,  as  well  as 
the  State  of  California,  have  materially  aided 
financially  the  Hydrographic  Branch  of  the  Geological 
Survey  in  the  making  of  these  investigations.  The 
report  also  contains  a  brief  description  of  the  irri- 
gation systems  in  the  Sacramento  Valley,  and  the 


water-power  development 'in' the  Sacramento  Basin; 
and  outline  of  the  reports  and  work  accomplished  by 
the  different  departments  of  the  State  of  California 
towards  the  solution  of  the  problem  of  restraining  the 
mining  debris,  and  the  reclamation  of  overflow  lands 


FEATHER  RIVER   AT   HEAD   OF   BUTTE  COUNTY  IRRIGATION   CANAI. 

of  the  Sacramento;  a  description  of  the  hydrographic 
work  accomplished  by  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey, 
which  includes  maps  and  estimates  of  the  cost  of 
impounding  works  for  proposed  reservoirs. 

The  report  contains  a  review  of  Water  Supply  and 
Irrigation  Papers  Nos.  45  and  85  ("Water  Storage  on 
Cache  Creek"  and  "Storage  Reservoirs  in  Stony 
Creek,  Cal.,"  respectively). 

Part  Two  of  the  report  contains  all  the  hydro- 
graphic  data  available  for  the  Sacramento  River  and 
tributaries,  climatic  details  for  Sacramento  and  Red 
Bluff,  and  Bibliography,  thus  bringing  together  in  one 
volume  an  outline  of  all  the  work  that  has  been  ac- 
complished to  the  present  time  in  the  Sacramento 
Valley  by  various  organizations.  It  is  believed  that 


it  contains  the  information  that  is  being  sought  by 
farmers,  engineers  and  other  inhabitants  of  the  Sac- 
ramento Valley. 

This  is  a  progress  report  which  will  be  followed  by 
a  second  edition  when  the  reconnaissance  and  sur- 
veys for  reservoir  sites  have  been  extended  to  include 
the  remaining  tributaries  of  the  Sacramento  River, 
that  is,  the  Feather,  Yuba,  Bear  and  American 
Rivers,  and  when  the  topographical  surveys  of  the 
Sacramento  Valley  shall  have  been  completed  and 
sufficient  information  collected  to  formulate  a  plan 
to  irrigate  the  entire  valley. 


CLEAR    LAKE. 


The  study  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  has  been 
undertaken  along  the  following  broad  lines:  The 
hydrographic  investigations  have  consisted  of  a  com- 
plete exploration  for  reservoir  sites  throughout  the 
drainage  basin  of  the  river.  Where  reservoirs  have 
been  found,  their  capacities  have  been  determined 
by  exact  surveys  and  plans  and  estimates  prepared 
for  the  construction  of  the  dams.  Gauging  sta- 


tions  have  been  erected  at  or  near  the  dam  sites 
to  determine  the  available  water  supply.  This  more 
detailed  work  has  been  extended  throughout  the  west- 
ern side  of  the  basin,  and  also  on  the  northern  portion 
of  the  basin,  including  the  Pit  River. 

The  detail  surveys  are  now  being  made,  but  are  not 
yet  complete  for  the  eastern  portion  of  the  basin. 
Extensive  storage  reservoirs,  however,  are  known  to 
exist.  Borings  have  not  yet  been  made  at  the  dam 
sites,  and  consequently  the  estimates  are  apt  to  be 
materially  modified  when  this  is  done.  The  topo- 
graphic branch  of  the  Geological  Survey  has  under- 
taken the  mapping  in  detail  of  the  entire  floor  of  the 
Sacramento  Valley.  This  work  is  being  done  with 
the  co-operation  of  the  State,  the  Geological  Survey 
having  complete  charge  of  the  work,  and  the  State 
paying  fifty  per  cent  of  the  bill.  These  surveys  will 
"be  completed  for  the  portion  of  the  valley  west  of  the 
Sacramento  River  probably  this  year.  With  this 
data  in  hand,  it  will  be  possible  to  make  preliminary 
locations  of  canal  lines  and  to  determine  accurately 
irrigable  areas. 

The  Bureau  of  Forestry  of  the  Agricultural  Depart- 
ment has  taken  up  the  complete  study  of  the  forest 
•cover  of  the  drainage  basin,  and  has  made  extensive 
withdrawals  of  the  remaining  public  lands  for  forest 
reserve.  The  preservation  of  these  forests  is  of  vital 
import  in  connection  with  the  prevention  of  destruc- 
tive flows,  as  well  as  the  maintenance  of  the  low 
water  flow  of  the  stream. 

It  is  believed  that  the  preservation  of  the  forest  will 
also  be  of  great  permanent  value  to  the  valley  lands, 
as  a  continual  source  of  lumber  supply  for  that  region. 

The  Bureau  of  Investigation  of  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  has  not,  as  yet,  initiated  extensive  in- 
vestigations as  to  the  duty  of  water  in  the  Sacra- 
mento Valley,  but  their  work  along  this  line  in  the 
future  will  undoubtedly  be  of  great  service  in  carry- 
ing out  the  project. 

—  6  — 


The  State  of  California  is  lending  financial  aid  to 
them  in  this  work. 

A  Board  of  Army  Engineers  has  been  appointed  to 
continue  the  study  of  the  flood  and  overflow  condi- 
tions of  the  Sacramento,  together  with  the  improve- 
ment of  the  navigable  capacity  of  that  stream.  It  is 
to  be  hoped  that  this  work  may  be  successfully  car- 
ried out,  as  it  will  greatly  enhance  the  general  pros- 
perity and  proper  development  of  this  valley. 

The  program  for  this  work  does  not  in  any  manner 
interfere  with  or  conflict  with  the  work  which  is  con- 
templated by  the  Reclamation  Service.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  is  believed  that  the  two  programs  can  be,  and 
will  be,  carried  on  in  harmonious  relation.  There  are 
over  2,000,000  acres  of  land  in  the  Sacramento  Valley 
above  the  highest  flood  flow  in  the  valley,  which  may 
be  irrigated.  This,  certainly,  is  a  sufficient  task  to 
occupy  the  attention  of  the  Reclamation  Service  for 
a  number  of  years  to  come.  If,  upon  the  completion 
of  this  work,  levees  have  been  so  constructed  as  to 


HEADGATE,  CENTRAL  CANAL,  ABOVE  ST.  JOHN. 


—  7  — 


permit  of  the  irrigation  and  drainage  of  the  lands 
which  are  now  subject  to  overflow,  it  apparently  will 
not  be  a  difficult  matter  to  extend  the  irrigation  sys- 
tem on  to  these  lands,  because  of  their  relatively  low 
elevation. 

The  question  of  navigation  should  be  carefully  con- 
sidered, and  such  a  plan  followed  as  will  not  lead  to 
its  destruction.  It  is  believed  that  it  will  be  feasible 
to  divert  water  from  the  Sacramento  River  during 
the  high  stage  of  the  river  without  injury  to  the 
navigation,  and  that  during  the  low  stages  of  the 


river,  the  supply  for  irrigation  can  be  sustained  from 
the  storage  reservoir  in  which  flood  waters  have  been 
impounded.  The  Sacramento  River  is  technically  a 
navigable  stream  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Federal  Government,  and  up  to  the  present  time,  no 
diversions  have  been  authorized  therefrom  which 
would  affect  the  river  when  it  falls  to  a  stage  two 
feet  above  low*yater  mark.  This  probably  implies 
that  diversions  for  irrigation  cannot  be  made  subse- 
quent to  the  15th  of  July.  The  necessity  for  storage 
in  connection  with  the  maintenance  of  navigation, 
therefore,  becomes  apparent. 

WORK    DONE    BY  THE    IRRIGATION    SURVEY. 

In  1889-90  reconnaissance  and  topographical  sur- 
veys were  made  of  a  number  of  reservoir  sites  in 
Northern  California  by  the  U.  S.  Irrigation  Survey. 
A  short  description  of  the  sites  located  in  the  Sacra- 
mento Basin  is  given  in  the  12th  and  13th  Annual 
Reports  of  the  Survey.  At  that  time  Clear  Lake  on 
Cache  Creek,  Summit  Valley  on  the  Yuba  River  in 
Nevada  and  Placer  Counties,  and  Reservoir  Sites 
known  as  Nos  43  and  44,  in  Alpine  County,  California, 
were  surveyed. 

WORK  DONE  BY  THE  HYDROGRAPHIC  BRANCH 
OF  THE  U.  S.  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY. 

A  gauging  station  was  established  on  the  Sacra- 
mento River  in  April,  1895.  The  work  of  stream 
gauging  has  been  extended  until  there  are  now  fifteen 
gauging  stations  in  the  Sacramento  Basin  gauge, 
which  measures  82  per  cent  of  the  flow  from  the  basis. 
It  has  been  the  purpose  of  the  Survey  to  establish 
and  maintain  these  gauging  stations  at  all  points 
where  reservoir  sites  are  found,  in  order  to  determine 
the  water  supply  available  for  storage.  In  1900  a 
general  plan  was  inaugurated  to  make  a  comprehen- 
sive study  of  the  entire  basin,  with  a  view  of  treating 
the  problem  as  a  whole.  A  short  description  of  the 
work  thus  far  accomplished  along  this  line  will  be 


given,  beginning  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the  Sac- 
ramento Valley  and  describing  in  order  the  reservoirs 
in  the  various  tributary  basins. 

PUTAH    CREEK. 

(Guenoc    Reservoir) : 

Putah  Creek  is  the  most  southerly  of  the  Coast 
Range  streams  draining  into  the  Sacramento  Valley. 
Its  basin  was  explored  in  July,  1903,  for  possible 
reservoir  sites.  Three  were  discovered.  The  Guenoc 
site  was  the  most  promising  of  these,  and  was  sur- 
veyed in  July  and  August,  1903.  A  second  reservoir 
site  has  been  surveyed  in  this  basin  during  the 
present  field  season.  It  is  located  in  Napa  County. 
The  dam  site  is  10  miles  above  Winters  and  only 
about  4  miles  above  the  Sacramento  Valley.  Putah 
Creek  has  a  drainage  area  of  600  square  miles. 
The  drainage  area  tributary  to  Guenofc  reservoir  site  is 
estimated  to  be  91  square  miles.  This  watershed  is  in 
the  most  elevated  section  of  the  Coast  Range,  and  has 
several  high  peaks  in  the  neighborhood.  The  precipi- 
tation in  this  watershed  is  heavy,  and  is  almost 
entirely  in  the  form  of  rain.  The  mean  precipitation 
of  the  basin  is  probably*  not  less  than  50  inches,  and 
the  minimum  not  less  than  30.  The  mean  seasonal 
rainfall  at  the  Helen  quicksilver  mine,  in  this  basin,  for 
the  four  years  ending  August,  1904,  was  100.86  inches. 
On  November  20,  1903,  the  precipitation  was  5  inches, 
and  for  the  23^  hours  ending  at  4:30  p.  m.  of  that 
day,  the  precipitation  was  Sy2  inches.  On  account  of 
the  large  amount  and  intensity  of  the  rainfall,  the 
run-off  per  square  mile  in  this  basin  is  very  high. 

DISCUSSION    REGARDING    THE    DAM. 

Two  types  of  dam  have  been  estimated  upon.  The 
capacity  of  the  reservoir  for  a  90-foot  dam  is  143,300 
acre-feet  and  for  a  100-foot  dam,  188,000  acre-feet. 
It  is  believed  that  80,000  acre-feet  can  be  furnished 
from  this  reservoir  annually.  The  estimated  cost  for 

—  10  — 


PUTAH  CREEK,  NEAR  WINTERS. 

installation  of  the  works  would  be  from  $4.03  to  $6.22, 
according  to  the  type  of  dam  built. 

The  work  has  not  been  completed  on  the  maps  of 
the  survey  of  the  reservoir  on  lower  Putah  Creek.  It 
is  estimated  that  the  reservoir  will  hold  from  75,000 
to  100,000  acre-feet.  It  is  believed  that  the  run-off 
from  the  Putah  Creek  watershed  will  be  sufficient,  if 
these  two  reservoirs  are  constructed,  to  irrigate 
80,000  acres  of  land. 

STORAGE   OF   WATER   ON    CACHE   CREEK. 

The  drainage  area  of  Cache  Creek  and  its  branches 
has  been  estimated  at  1192  square  miles.  Five 
hundred  square  miles  of  this  watershed  are  above 
the  outlet  of  Clear  Lake.  This  lake  presents  an  ex- 
cellent opportunity  for  the  storage  of  100,000  acre-feet 
of  water  at  a  small  cost.  This  amount  of  water 
may  be  delivered  without  any  serious  interference 
with  the  lake  levels  under  existing  conditions.  It 
would,  however,  be  feasible  to  impound  all  the  flood 
waters  which  are  presented  to  Clear  Lake  by  increas- 


—  11  — 


ing  the  height  of  dam  at  the  outlet.  Possibly  the  vol- 
ume of  water  that  could  then  be  delivered  from  the 
reservoir  might  be  double  that  named  above.  The  ad- 
visability of  such  a  procedure  can  only  be  determined 
as  a  result  of  future  investigations. 

The  cost  per  acre-foot  for  this  storage  will  depend 
upon  the  capacity  of  the  outlet  channel  which  shall  be 
adopted.  The  cost  per  acre-foot  with  storage  works 
and  outlet  channel  of  8,000  second-feet  capacity 
would  be  $4.69;  and  with  an  outlet  channel  of  12,000 
second-feet  capacity,  $5.92. 

NORTH  FORK  OF  CACHE  CREEK. 

Little  Indian  Valley  is  the  only  basin  on  the  North 
Fork  to  be  recommended  as  a  reservoir  site.  It  is 
five  miles  long  and  ranges  from  one-half  to  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  in  width.  A  reconnaissance  sur- 
vey of  the  valley  was  made  in  1900  to  determine  its 
approximate  storage  capacity,  which  is  estimated  at 
76,500  acre-feet.  By  comparison  with  the  study  of 
the  run-off  from  Clear  Lake,  it  is  believed  that  the 


CACHE  CREEK,  NEAR  GUINDA. 

—  12  — 


basin  tributary  to  this  reservoir  will  furnish  50,000 
acre-feet  for  irrigation  purposes  in  the  years  of 
ordinary  run-off.  The  estimated  cost  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  storage  works  at  this  point  is 
$453,000,  which  is  at  the  rate  of  $5.92  per  acre-foot  for 
the  total  storage  capacity,  or  at  the  rates  of  $9.06 
per  acre-foot  of  water  available. 

STORAGE  RESERVOIRS,  STONY  CREEK  BASIN. 

This  investigation  was  carried  on  in  1900  by  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey  in  co-operation  with 
the  California  Water  and  Forest  Association  and  the 
Willows  Chamber  of  Commerce.  The  purpose  of 
the  work  was,  primarily,  to  determine  what  could  be 
done  towards  increasing  the  area  of  lands  irrigated  in 
the  basin  of  Stony  Creek.  Stony  Creek  has  a  drain- 
age area  of  about  760  square  miles.  While  the  crest 
of  the  watershed  does  not  exceed  6,700  feet  in  eleva- 
tion, its  proximity  to  the  coast  assures  a  substantial 
amount  of  rainfall.  In  the  valley  the  precipitation 
is  about  20  inches  annually,  while  in  the  higher  por- 
tions of  the  basin  it  probably  reaches  40  inches.  For 
the  investigation  of  the  storage  possibilities  of  Stony 
Creek,  nearly  the  entire  drainage  basin  was  visited. 
Stony  Creek  has  a  very  peculiar  topographic  catch- 
ment area.  The  main  stream,  flowing  northerly 
and  parallel  with  the  Coast  Range,  lies  wholly  in 
the  sedimentary  rock.  At  various  points  in  the 
basin  a  conglomerate  of  more  or  less  hardness 
is  upturned  in  lines  parallel  with  the  axis  of  the 
mountain  range,  and  has  resisted  erosion  to  a 
large  extent.  Wherever  this  ridge  has  been  cross- 
cut by  the  various  streams,  dam  and  reservoir  sites 
of  more  or  less  merit  are  found.  This  occurs  in 
quite  a  number  of  instances,  but  only  three  of  the 
reservoir  sites  have  been  surveyed.  These  are  Briscoe 
Creek,  East  Park  reservoir  site  and  Mill  Site  reser- 
voir site. 

The  Briscoe  reservoir  site  has  above  it  50  square 
miles  of  good  mountain  drainage.  Its  storage  capac- 

—  13- 


STEAM  SHOVEL,  BUTTE  COUNTY  CANAL. 

ity,  with  a  125-foot  dam,  would  be  14,385  acre-feet, 
and  the  cost  of  building  the  storage  works  would  be 
$15.17  per  acre-foot. 

The  East  Park  reservoir  site  is  located  on  Little 
Stony  Creek  about  two  miles  southeast  of  Stony 
Ford  in  Colusa  County.  From  the  survey  of  this 
reservoir  site  it  is  found  that  a  115-foot  dam  would 
impound  26,000  acre-feet  of  water  at  a  cost  for  im- 
pounding of  $7.94  per  foot. 

Mill  Site  reservoir.  This  reservoir  site  is  located 
at  a  point  on  Stony  Creek  near  the  Sacramento  Val- 
ley. It  has  back  of  it  over  500  square  miles  of  drain- 
age area,  exclusive  of  Briscoe  and  Little  Stony 
Creek.  This  is  an  important  reservoir  site.  A  dam 
at  this  point  95  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  stream 
would  impound  43,735  acre-feet  of  water  at  a  cost 
of  $13.32  per  acre-foot  for  storage  works. 

PIT   RIVER   BASIN. 

Northeastern  California  is  drained  by  the  Pit  River, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  important  tributaries  of  the 
Sacramento  River.  The  upper  part  of  the  basin  is 
a  series  of  high  plateaus  and  abounds  in  old  lake  beds, 

—  14  — 


which  ofter  remarkable  opportunities  for  storing 
water.  The  gorges  and  canyons  leading  out  of  the 
valleys  are  usually  quite  narrow.  Five  reservoir 
sites  were  surveyed  in  this  basin  by  the  Reclamation 
Service  in  1904.  The  most  important  of  these  is 
located  on  the  main  Pit  River,  a  few  miles  below 
Bieber.  It  is  known  as  the  Big  Valley  reservoir  site. 
The  area  of  the  watershed  tributaries  to  the  Big 
Valley  reservoir  is  approximately  2,948  square  miles. 
If  it  is  found  possible  to  drain  Goose  Lake  and  divert 
the  run-off  from  this  basin  into  Pitt  River,  the  drain- 
age area  above  Big  Valley  dam  site  will  be  approxi- 
mately 4,200  square  miles.  The  estimated  run-off 
from  the  Pit  River  at  Big  Valley  dam  site  for  1904, 
which  was  a  year  of  large  rainfall,  was  1,245,422  acre- 
feet.  The  maximum  discharge  at  this  point  was 
18,320  second-feet.  It  is  possible  that  1,000,000  acre- 
feet  could  be  supplied  from  this  reservoir  annually 
by  diverting  the  flow  now  evaporated  from  the  sur- 
face of  Goose  Lake,  and  giving  the  reservoir  a 
capacity  sufficiently  large  to  store  the  surplus  water 
in  years  when  the  discharge  is  above  the  average. 
The  area  exposed  to  evaporation  from  Big  Valley 


CANYON  OF   PIT   RIVER. 
—  15  — 


reservoir,  with  a  depth  of  70  feet  of  water  at  the  dam, 
is  83  square  miles.  The  area  of  Goose  Lake  is  186 
square  miles.  If  the  water  that  runs  into  this  lake 
were  stored  in  the  Big  Valley  reservoir  it  would  be 
sufficient  to  supply  260,000  acre-feet  annually,  and  also 
all  evaporation  from  the  Big  Valley  reservoir.  This 
is  one  of  the  largest  reservoir  sites  ever  surveyed 
in  the  arid  West.  With  a  depth  of  100  feet  of  water 
at  the  dam,  it  has  a  capacity  of  approximately 
3,200,000  acre-feet.  It  is  estimated  that  1,000,000 
acre-feet  could  be  impounded  at  this  point  at  a  cost 
of  from  $2.01  to  $2.23  per  acre-foot,  according  to  the 
type  of  dam  selected. 

IRON    CANYON    RESERVOIR    SITE. 

The  Iron  Canyon  reservoir  site,  which  was  sur- 
veyed in  1903,  is  situated  on  the  Sacramento  River 
seven  miles  above  Red  Bluff,  California.  The  esti- 
mated capacity  of  this  site,  with  impounding  works 
as  designed,  is  226,900  acre-feet.  The  cost  of  the 
storage  works  will  be  $6.78  per  acre-foot. 

To  summarize :  By  the  construction  of  the  Guenoc, 
Clear  Lake,  Little  Indian  Valley,  Briscoe,  East  Park, 
Mill  Site,  Big  Valley  and  Iron  Canyon  reservoirs, 
the  amount  of  water  available  for  irrigation  from 
the  Sacramento  River  and  tributaries  can  be  in- 
creased by  1,541,020  acre-feet,  or  sufficient  water, 
if  liberated  during  the  months  of  July,  August  and 
September,  to  increase  the  flow  of  the  Sacramento 
River  more  than  8,000  cubic  feet  per  second.  The  low 
water  flow  at  Red  Bluff  is  about  3,000  second-feet 
The  cost  for  installation  of  these  storage  works 
as  determined  by  preliminary  estimates,  would  be 
$5,800,035,  or  at  the  rate  of  $3.76  per  acre-foot  for 
the  construction  of  the  works. 

If  these  reservoirs  were  built  under  the  Reclama- 
tion Act  and  paid  for  in  ten  equal  payments  the  cost 
would  be  $0.376  per  acre-foot  per  annum.  Diversion 
and  drainage  works  needed  to  complete  an  irrigation 
system  would  materially  add  to  this  charge. 

—  16  — 


These  figures  must  not  at  all  be  considered  as 
final.  They  are  merely  given  for  purposes  of  com- 
parison, and  as  indicative  of  the  possible  cost  of  these 
storage  works.  The  ultimate  cost  of  irrigation  and 
drainage  of  lands,  including  charge  for  storage, 
seldom  falls  below  $20  per  acre. 


IRON   CANYON   OF   THE   SACRAMENT' 


These  reservoirs  can  be  so  constructed  that  they 
will  play  an  important  part  in  controlling  the  crest 
of  the  flood  waves  of  the  Sacramento  River,  which 
has  been  so  destructive  of  levees,  crops  and  other 
property  along  the  lower  river.  The  controlling  of 
the  flood  flow  of  Putah  and  Cache  Creeks  presents 
one  of  the  greatest  difficulties  to  be  overcome  in  re- 
claiming the  Yolo  Basin.  The  flood  flow  of  Putah 
and  Cache  Creeks  may  reach  as  much  as  40,000  and 
25,000  second-feet  respectively,  for  short  periods.  If 
the  Guenoc  and  Putah  reservoirs  were  built,  it  is  be- 
lieved that  the  flood  flow  of  Putah  Creek  could  be  re- 
duced to  one-half  that  amount. 

The  construction  of  the  Clear  Lake  and  Indian 
Valley  reservoirs  would,  in  a  large  measure,  control 

»      —17  — 


the  flood  flow  of  Cache  Creek,  if  the  outlets  were 
regulated  with  that  object  in  view.  The  flood  wave 
of  Stony  Creek,  which  probably  reaches  20,000  cubic 
feet  per  second,  could  be  effectively  controlled  by 
the  construction  of  Mill  Site  reservoir.  Ordinarily 
reservoirs  are  allowed  to  fill  with  the  first  rains.  Dis- 
charge records  on  Stony  Creek  show  that  the  flow  is 
many  times  more  than  the  capacity  of  this  reservoir. 
The  reservoir  could  have  been  filled  any  year  since 
the  stream  gauging  record  began  after  the  first  of 
April.  By  increasing  the  outlet  capacity,  and  keep- 
ing the  water  low,  this  reservoir  could  be  used  as  a 
regulator  of  the  flood  flow  until  the  first  of  April.  If 
the  Iron  Canyon  reservoir  were  built  with  a  large 
outlet  capacity,  all  ordinary  flood  waves  could  be 
controlled.  Even  after  the  reservoir  was  full  to  the 
lip  of  the  overflow  weir,  it  would  still  have  the  effect 
of  retarding  the  passage  of  the  flood  crest  on  account 
of  the  large  surface  afforded  over  which  the  water 
would  have  to  be  spread  and  stored  before  sufficient 
head  could  be  gained  on  the  overflow  weir  to  pass 
the  full  flood  flow. 

The  Big  Valley  reservoir,  if  built,  could  be  made  to 
entirely  eliminate  about  4,000  square  miles  of  water- 
shed tributary  to  the  Sacramento  River.  These  two 
reservoirs  would  give  control  of  the  flood  flow  from 
35  per  cent  of  the  mountain  area  of  the  Sacramento 
Basin. 

In  spite  of  all  precautions  crevasses  will  sometimes 
occur  during  high  water  in  levees  of  the  best  con- 
struction. They  have  occurred  on  the  Mississippi 
levees,  and  will  probably  continue  to  do  so  on  the 
Sacramento. 

In  a  report  of  the  State  Engineer  for  1881,  Mr. 
William  Ham  Hall  states:  Such  vast  volumes  of 
water  as  would  overtop  any  line  of  levees  which  will 
ever  be  constructed  in  this  valley  will  assuredly  be 
brought  down  occasionally.  No  possible  artificial 
.embankments,  and  no  possible  development  of  the 
Sacramento  River  will  provide  waterway  for  the  pre- 

—  18  — 


vention  of  the  spread  of  waters  of  such  floods  as 
those  of  1853,  1862,  1868,  and  perhaps  others  of 
which  we  have  record.  The  Sacramento  River  now 
carries  from  eighty  to  ninety  thousand  cubic  feet  per 
second  past  Sacramento.  We  may  make  it  carry 
200,000  cubic  feet,  but  we  cannot  make  it  carry 
400,000  cubic  feet,  and  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the 
flood  of  1862,  or  either  of  the  others  mentioned,  per- 
haps, would  have  presented  the  last  amount  named 
in  the  lower  river." 


DREDGER  -ON  CENTRAL  CANAL,  ST.  JOHN. 

On  February  16  and  24,  1904,  the  Reclamation  Ser- 
vice estimates  that  the  total  flood  presented  to  the 
margin  of  the  valley  was  over  500,000  second-feet.  If  a 
break  should  occur  in  the  Sacramento  levees  after  the 
improvements  proposed  by  the  Board  of  Army  Engi- 
neers have  been  carried  out  and  after  the  flood  basins 
have  been  reclaimed  and  settled,  the  loss  of  property 
might  be  enormous.  The  property  loss  in  one  break 
might  be  greater  than  the  entire  first  cost  of  the 
reservoirs.  It  is  therefore  most  important  to  take 
every  precaution  to  mitigate  these  floods,  and  it  is 
believed  that  this  reservoir  construction  would  be 
justified  on  the  basis  of  prevention  of  overflow  alone. 

Because  of  the  intensity  and  the  amount  of  precipi- 
tation in  the  upper  Sacramento  Basin,  its  flood  waves 
are  great  but  are  of  short  duration.  On  this  account, 

-19  — 


the  reservoirs  will  be  especially  useful  in  reducing  and 
retarding  the  flood  wave  crests.  It  is  believed  that 
the  additional  expense  of  increasing  the  outlet 
capacity  and  making  the  reservoirs  better  adapted 
to  serve  the  above  purpose  is  justified  and  should 
be  incurred. 

It  will  be  seen,  then,  how  important  it  is  that  the 
irrigation  of  lands  in  the  Sacramento  Valley  not  sub- 
ject to  overflow,  and  the  reclamation  of  the  overflow 
lands  be  regarded  as  a  co-ordinate  work,  and  it  is 
hoped  that  it  will  be  so  considered.  The  success  of 
the  reclamation  projects  in  irrigating  vast  tracts 


DAM  ON  BUTTE  COUNTY  IRRIGATION  CANAL. 

of  land  in  the  arid  and  semi-arid  West,  depends  upon 
the  co-operation  of  the  farmer.  The  destiny  of  the 
Sacramento  Valley'is  in  the  hands  of  the  land  owners. 
If  the  majority  of  these  follow  the  short-sighted 
policy  of  holding  the  land  in  large  tracts,  and  using  it 
for  raising  grain,  the  soil  will  decrease  in  produc- 
tiveness. The  construction  of  numerous  small  canals 
will  result  in  the  same  confusion  and  lack  of  system 
as  had  occurred  with  the  independent  levee  construc- 
tion upon  which  work  over  $10,000,000  has  been  spent, 
and  the  results  are  chaotic.  Little  advance  will  be 
made  either  in  increased  population  or  wealth.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  the  land  is  subdivided  and  irri- 

—  20  — 


gated,  the  Sacramento  Valley  will  ultimately  sustain 
a  population  approaching  that  which  is  now  support- 
ed by  the  entire  State,  and  the  increase  in  the  value 
of  land  and  taxable  property  will  be  many-fold.  With 
increase  in  population  will  come  many  social  ad- 
vantages, electric  railways  and  other  transportation 
facilities,  high  schools,  libraries,  rural  deliveries  of 
mail.  In  fact,  all  the  advantages  of  country  and 
city  life  will  be  combined,  as  in  the  case  of  Fresno 
and  many  Southern  California  towns. 


BUTTK   COUNTY   CANAL,  NEAR   BIGGS. 

Until  the  topographic  and  soil  surveys  of  the  val- 
ley are  completed,  it  will  be  difficult  to  even  approx- 
imately give  the  location  of  the  canals  or  the  amount 
of  land  that  is  susceptible  of  irrigation.  However,  a 
general  statement  can  be  made  in  regard  to  this 
matter.  The  irrigable  land  may  exceed  2,000,000 
acres.  It  is  estimated  that  80,000  acres  can  be  irri- 
gated from  Putah  Creek,  80,000  acres  from  Cache 
Creek  and  40,000  acres  from  Stony  Creek.  The  water 
from  these  streams  should  be  used  to  irrigate  the 


higher  valley  lands  near  the  points  where  these 
streams  leave  the  foothills.  The  remainder  of  the 
land  on  the  west  side  of  the  valley  would  have  to  be 
irrigated  by  canals  taking  water  from  the  Sacramento 
River.  There  are  approximately  1,047,000  acres  of 
land  on  the  west  side  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  below 
Red  Bluff,  above  the  overflow  line  of  the  flood  of  1904. 
Upon  the  assumption  that  77  per  cent  of  this  land 
is  irrigable,  and  that  the  natural  flow  of  the  stream 
may  be  relied  upon  to  furnish  sufficient  water  for 
irrigation  until  the  first  of  July,  and  that  two  acre- 
feet  will  irrigate  an  acre  of  land  in  the  Sacramento 
Valley,  the  natural  stream  flow,  together  with  the 
water  impounded  in  the  reservoirs  thus  far  surveyed, 
would  be  sufficient  to  irrigate  this  west  side  land,  and 


FOLSOM   DAM,   AMERICAN   RIVER. 


—  22  — 


probably  furnish  a  surplus  of  half  a  million  acre-feet 
to  be  applied  for  the  irrigation  of  the  northern  part 
of  the  east  half  of  the  valley,  as  far  south  as  Chico. 
It  is  believed  that  the  flow  from  the  streams  draining 
the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  supple- 
mented by  storage,  would  be  sufficient  to  irrigate  the 


DIVERTING   DAM   OF      NORTH    FORK   OF  AMERICAN   RIVER. 

remainder  of  the  east  side  land  above  the  overflow 
line  of  the  flood  of  1904. 

If  the  irrigation  systems  of  the  Sacramento  Valley 
can  be  constructed  by  the  Reclamation  Service,  the 
land  owners  have  only  to  return  the  first  cost  of  the 
works  without  interest,  profit  or  taxes. 

The  engineering  problems  connected  with  the  build- 
ing of  these  storage  works,  together  with  the  diver- 
sion and  distribution  of  this  water  on  the  dry  lands 
of  the  Sacramento  Valley,  are  not  difficult  or  uncer- 
tain, as  is  the  case  with  the  construction  of  levees 
for  the  prevention  of  overflow.  The  two  real  prob- 
lems that  are  to  be  met  before  this  work  can  be  suc- 
cessfully carried  out,  are  the  provision  of  funds  for 
the  building  of  the  work,  and  the  agreement  on  the 
part  of  the  land  owners  to  accept  this  water  under 
the  terms  of  the  Reclamation  Act,  if  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment is  to  be  the  builder. 


—  23  — 


It  will  not  be  necessary  to  build  the  entire  project 
at  one  time,  and  it  is  entirely  feasible  to  build  one 
after  another  of  the  various  units  involved  in  such  a 
way  as  the  results  will  be  in  harmony  with  the  com- 
pleted plant.  Such  work  could  be  undertaken  on 
Cache  Creek  or  Stony  Creek,  or  possibly  by  diversion 
at  Red  Bluff.  It  is  important,  however,  that  one  gen- 
eral plan  should  be  adhered  to.  It  is  quite  possible 
that  these  gentlemen  who  are  connected  with  this 
Congressional  Committee  on  Irrigation  may  be  of 
great  assistance  to  you  in  helping  to  solve  this  finan- 
cial problem. 


FOLSOM   DAM,    AMERICAN   RIVER. 

With  reference  to  the  agreement  on  the  part  of 
the  land  owner  to  accept  water  for  irrigation  and  to 
subdivide  his  lands,  I  do  not  have  serious  doubt.  It 
has  been  a  matter  of  pleasant  surprise  to  find 
throughout  arid  America  that  difficulties  of  this 
nature  can  be  overcome,  both  because  of  the  pro- 
found confidence  possessed  by  all  in  the  ability  of  the 
Government  to  carry  through  its  enterprises,  and, 
second,  because  of  the  knowledge  that  the  purpose  of 
the  Government  is  purely  that  of  benefiting  the  coun- 
try at  large,  and  not  for  the  bettering  of  any  one  lo- 
cality or  institution. 

—  24  — 


SOUTHERN  PACIFIC  COMPANY 

REPRESENTATIVES  PASSENGER  DEPARTMENT 

CHAS.  S.  FEE,  Passenger  Traffic  Manager San  Francisco,  Cal. 

T.  H.  GOODMAN,  General  Passenger  Agent San  Francisco,  Cal. 

R.  A.  DONALDSON,  Asst.  Gen.  Pass.  Agent ^ San  Francisco,  Cal. 

JAS.  HORSBURGH,  JR.,  Asst.  Gen.  Pass.  Agent San  Francisco,  Cal. 

H.  R.  JUDAH,  Asst.  Gen.  Pass.  Agent San  Francisco,  Cal. 

T.  A.  GRAHAM,  Asst.  Gen.  Pass.  Agent Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

A.  L.  CRAIG,  Gen.  Pass.  Agent,  Oregon  Lines Portland,  Or. 

THOS,  J.  ANDERSON,  Gen.  Pass.  Agt.,  G.  H.  &  S.  A.  Ry... Houston,  Tex. 

F.  E.  BATTURS,  G.  P.  A.,  M.  L.  &  T.  R.  R New  Orleans,  La. 

J.  A.  NAUGLE,  Gen.  Pass.  Agt.,  Sonora  Ry Guaymas,  Mex 

GENERAL  AGENTS 

ATLANTA,  GA.— J.  F.  Van  Rensselaer,  Gen.  Agt... 13  Peachtree  St. 

BALTIMORE — B.  B.  Barber,  Agt Piper  Building 

BOSTON,  MASS.— E.  E.  Currier,  New  England  Agt..l70  Washington  St. 

BUTTE,  MONT.— H.  O.  Wilson,  General  Agent,  O.  R.  &  N.  Co 

105  North  Main  St. 

CHICAGO,  ILL.— W.  G.  Neimver,  Gen.  Agent 120  Jackson  Boulevard 

CINCINNATI,  OHIO— W.  H.  Connor,  Gen.  Agent 53  East  Fourth  St. 

DENVER,  COLO.— Wm.  K.  McAllister,  General  Agent 

1112  Seventeenth  St 

DETROIT,  MICH.— F.  B.  Choate,  Gen.  Agent 126  Woodward  Ave 

KANSAS  CITY,  Mo.— H.  G.  Kaill,  Gen.  Agent 901  Walnut  St 

MEXICO  CITY,  MEX.— E.  M.  Cousin,  General  Agent 

la  Independencia,  23 

NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. — L.  H.  Nutting,  General  Eastern  Passenger 

Agent 349  Broadway 

PHILADELPHIA,  PA.— R.  J.  Smith,  Agent .......632  Chestnut  St. 

PITTSBURG,  PA.— G.  G.  Herring,  General  Agent 511  Park  Bldg. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH.— D   R.  Gray,  Gen.  Agent 201  Main  St. 

SEATTLE,  WASH.— E.  E.  Ellis,  General  Agent 618  First  Ave. 

ST.  Louis,  Mo.— J.  H.  Lothrop,  General  Agent 903  Olive  St. 

SYRACUSE,  N.  Y.— F.  T.  Brooks,  New  York  State  Agent 

212  West  Washington  St. 

TACOMA,  WASH.— Robt.  Lee,  Agent 1203  Pacific  Ave. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.— A.  J.  Poston,  General  Agent,  Sunset  Ex- 
cursions  511  Pennsylvania  Ave 

DISTRICT  PASSENGER  AGENTS 

FRESNO,  CAL.— C.  M.  Burkhalter,  Dist.  Pass.  &  Frt.  Agt. .. 1013  J  Stree 
Los  ANGELES,  CAL.— N.  R.  Martin,  Dist.  Pass.  Agt 

; 261  South  Spring  St. 

OAKLAND,  CAL.— G.  T.  Forsyth,  Dist.  Pass.  &  Frt.  Agt 

, 12  San  Pablo  Ave. 

RENO,  NEV.— A.  H.  Rising,  Acting  Dist.  Passenger  and  Freight  Agent 
SACRAMENTO,  CAL.— J.  R.  Gray,  Dist.  Passenger  and  Freight  Agent 
SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL.— A.  S.  Mann,  District  Passenger  Agent 

613  Market  St. 

SAN  JOSE.  CAL.— E.  ShiHingsburg,  District  Pass.  &  Frt.  Agt 

16  South  First  St. 

TUCSON,  ARIZ.— E.  G.  Humphrey,  District  Pass.  &  Frt.  Agt 


SINGAPORE— T.  D.  McKay,  General  Passenger  Agent,  S.  F.  O.  R. 

Rudolph  Falck,  General  European  Passenger  Agent,  Amerikahaus,  25, 
27  Ferdinand  Strasse,  .Hamburg,  Germany;  49  Leadenhall  St., 
London,  E.  C.,  England;  18  Cockspur  St.,  London,  W.  E.,  Eng- 
land; 25,  Water  Street,  Liverpool,  England;  118  Wynhaven,  S.  S. 
Rotterdam,  Netherlands;  11  Rue  Chappelle  de  Grace,  Antwerp, 
Belgium;  39  Rue  St.  Augustin,  Paris,  Prance. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OP  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $i.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 







LD  21-100m-7,'40(6936s)J 


Photomount 
Pamphlet 

Binder 
Gaylord  Bros. 

Makers 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
PH.  JAM  21, 1908 


572552. 


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